The Billionaire's Reluctant Bride
Leila Adams has always felt small, living in the shadow of her family’s expectations. Shy and unsure, she never thought much of herself—until her father arranges a marriage to a man she barely knows: Alexander Hawke. He’s a powerful billionaire with a cold, unfeeling exterior, hiding the pain of a past full of betrayal.
At first, Leila’s marriage to Alexander feels like a business deal. He’s distant, controlled, and doesn’t care for her at all. But as time goes on, something starts to change. Leila begins to find her own voice, growing stronger with every passing day. And Alexander, who thought he could keep everything under control, starts to see the woman beneath the surface—the woman who could break down the walls around his heart.
As Leila and Alexander begin to learn what it means to trust, love, and heal, both of them must face their pasts and decide if they can build a future together. Will Leila finally embrace her true strength? Can Alexander let go of his fear and open up to love?
In The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride, passion, trust, and transformation collide in a story of love that neither of them ever saw coming.
Read Now and experience their journey of love, healing, and second chances.
Basahin
Chapter: Chapter 172You’d think after everything we’ve been through, we’d know how to keep our promises.I stood in the middle of our kitchen, barefoot, wrapped in one of Alexander’s oversized shirts. The silence in the penthouse was loud—only broken by the hum of the refrigerator and the dull buzz of my phone on the counter. Again.Work messages. At nearly midnight.The trip had ended three days ago. Three perfect, disconnected, sun-drenched days where we remembered what we were without the world pulling us in opposite directions. But the second we landed, the floodgates opened.He’d already broken our no-work-after-seven rule twice. I’d ignored it the first time. Justified the second. But now?Now I was pissed.I didn’t hear him walk in until his voice cut through the quiet like a wire snapping.“You’re still up?”I turned, crossing my arms. “That’s your opening line?”Alexander stilled, already sensing the storm brewing in me. He looked tired—no, wrecked—but I didn’t let it soften me this time.“I had
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
Chapter: Chapter 171"Just when we thought we had it all figured out, life threw us a curveball wrapped in dollar signs."The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse, casting a deceptive calm over the chaos brewing beneath. Alexander sat at the dining table, a thick dossier open before him, his brow furrowed in concentration. The sight was both familiar and unsettling."Leila," he began, his voice measured but tinged with an undercurrent I couldn't quite place. "We need to discuss this proposal."I set down my coffee, the rich aroma suddenly nauseating. "Another one? Didn't we agree to take a step back after the last project nearly consumed us?"He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know. But this... this is different. It's a partnership offer from Global Innovations. The potential here is massive."I approached, glancing over his shoulder at the documents. The figures were staggering, the kind that could solidify our company's position at the pinnacle of the industry. But
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-27
Chapter: Chapter 170"Love isn't tested in the calm; it's forged in the storm."I stood at the edge of our penthouse balcony, the city lights stretching out like a sea of stars beneath me. The cool breeze did little to calm the storm brewing inside.Alexander's voice broke through my thoughts. "Leila, what's going on?"I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, concern etched on his face. His presence, usually so grounding, now felt like a lifeline."It's Daniel," I began, my voice barely steady. "He's back, and with him, all the memories I've tried to forget."Alexander's eyes narrowed. "What does he want?""He says he's in trouble," I replied, wrapping my arms around myself. "But his return has stirred up doubts about who I was... and who I am now."Alexander crossed the space between us, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Your past doesn't define you, Leila. We all have shadows. It's how we move forward that matters."Tears welled up, blurring my vision. "But what if those shadows catch up? What
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-27
Chapter: Chapter 169"Just when you think you've buried your past, it has a way of knocking on your front door."The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse, casting a golden glow over the minimalist decor. I stood at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee, its rich aroma filling the air. Alexander sat across from me, engrossed in the financial section of the newspaper, his brow furrowed in concentration."Anything interesting?" I asked, breaking the comfortable silence.He looked up, a small smile playing on his lips. "Just the usual market fluctuations. Nothing that can't wait."I nodded, taking another sip of my coffee. The tranquility of the moment was shattered by the sharp chime of the doorbell. Alexander and I exchanged puzzled glances; we weren't expecting anyone."I'll get it," I offered, setting my mug down and moving toward the door.As I opened it, my breath caught in my throat. Standing before me was a ghost from my past—Daniel. His once-boyish face was
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-27
Chapter: Chapter 168“Success had always been my compass, but lately, it felt like I was navigating without a map.”I stared at the half-empty espresso cup on the kitchen island. The crema had gone flat, the kind of detail I usually wouldn’t notice. But now it felt like the perfect metaphor for everything that had gone dull lately—even the parts of life that were supposed to taste rich.Leila padded in barefoot, wearing my faded CalTech hoodie and holding a mug of tea. Her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were still pink from sleep, but damn if she didn’t still stop me cold.“You didn’t sleep again,” she said.I gave a non-answer shrug and kept my eyes on the city outside the window.She set her mug down and leaned on the counter, not pressing yet. Just... waiting. That was something she’d learned recently. How to wait for me to come to her instead of dragging it out of me.“I’ve been thinking,” I finally said.“Uh-oh,” she said, smiling a little. “That’s your ‘change the company overnight’ voice.”“No. No
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-27
Chapter: Chapter 167“Grief doesn’t ask permission. It just shows up, wrecks everything, and dares you to clean it up.”It started with silence.Not the peaceful kind. Not the kind where two people sit next to each other and don’t need to fill the space. This was the heavy kind. The kind that sat between us at the dinner table while Alexander pushed food around his plate and pretended to be somewhere else.He hadn’t touched the roasted chicken. I made it from scratch. It used to be his favorite.“You haven’t eaten all day,” I said, not looking up from my own plate. I’d barely taken a bite myself.“I’m not hungry.”"You said that yesterday."He finally looked up. His eyes were dull, rimmed red from nights I knew he wasn’t sleeping through.“Leila,” he said flatly. “Please. Not tonight.”I set my fork down. “It’s been nine nights.”He exhaled sharply and shoved his chair back. “I can't do this right now.”And just like that, he was gone—down the hall, the door to his study clicking shut behind him.At first
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-27
Chapter: Chapter 29 – The Lines We CrossIf the dart didn’t kill us, the Council might.They arrived before sunrise. Four black cars pulled into the courtyard like sharks circling for blood. No flags. No insignia. Just cold engines and colder eyes behind tinted windows.We were already waiting. Kieran stood like a stone in front of the entrance. Ronan flanked him, arms crossed, unreadable. Caspian, expressionless. Cian... well, Cian looked like he’d rather bite than speak.And me? I stood between them all, the eye of a hurricane no one could seem to outrun.The doors opened. Three wolves stepped out. Two men, one woman. Their movements were too polished, too quiet. Not hunters. Not diplomats. Trained. Observant. Silent.Spies.The woman led. Jet-black hair pulled into a severe braid. Gray eyes. Sharp chin. She wore her authority like armor. "I’m Envoy Myra Vale," she said. "These are my associates, Dren and Kal. The Council has authorized a full internal review."Kieran didn’t move. "We didn’t ask for oversight.""You don’t
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
Chapter: Chapter 28 – Blades and BoundariesThey didn’t go for me this time. They went for Ronan.We were barely five minutes into a strategy briefing when the windows blew in. One second we were arguing over guard rotations and safe room locations, the next—shattered glass and a hiss of air cut the room in half.Glass sprayed the floor, slicing the already thick tension in the room. A flash of silver cut through the air—a dart, thin and sharp, meant to be silent. Meant to be lethal. It struck the wall inches from Ronan’s head, the wood hissing where the metal sank in. A breath closer and he would’ve been dead.He didn’t flinch. That was what chilled me. Not the attack itself—we’d seen worse. But the way Ronan stared at the dart like it wasn’t even meant for him. As if death trying to shake his hand was just another boring meeting to endure.His eyes shifted slowly to the wall, to the shattered glass, then to me. Calm. Calculated."They’re escalating," he said. Just like that.Kieran was already at the broken window in seconds,
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
Chapter: Chapter 27 – Fractures in the PackSometimes, betrayal doesn’t come with a knife. Sometimes, it looks you in the eyes and says it loves you.The aftermath of the failed assassination attempt hung over the estate like fog. Heavy. Suffocating. No one said the word traitor out loud anymore, but it was in every glance, every unspoken pause between breaths. Trust had become currency—scarce, precious, unstable.We didn’t leave the main house. Not really. We lingered in shared spaces, feigned casual meals, over-guarded hallways. Everything was tense. Overcooked. I felt it every time one Alpha walked past another and didn’t speak. Our closeness had been burned through, and all that remained was the husk of what used to feel like unity.Caspian had taken to keeping records. A running list of patrols, guard shifts, item inventories, names. He wasn’t sleeping much. I passed by his study once in the middle of the night and saw him sitting with ink-stained hands, his jaw clenched as he scribbled notes like they were the only things
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
Chapter: Chapter 26 – The Knife in the CircleTrust is easy to offer until you realize you might be offering it to the one holding the blade.The bond had settled—but something about the quiet that followed made my skin itch. Not the kind of silence that came with peace. No. This was the kind that waited. Watched. The kind that tasted like betrayal on the back of your tongue before anyone said a word.By morning, the household moved differently. Tighter formations. More eyes on doors. More whispers. Word had spread that the bond had fully formed. No one said it aloud, but I saw it in their posture. Awe laced with fear. They didn’t know what it meant yet, and neither did I.The Alphas tried to act normal. Ronan made tea like he always did, though his grip on the cup was a fraction too tight. Caspian took his notes in the study, his pen never pausing even as his eyes flicked toward every sound. Cian sparred alone in the training yard like he could punch the anxiety out of his system. Kieran patrolled the grounds, eyes sharp, moveme
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
Chapter: Chapter 25 – The Unholy Bond BeginsI woke with a name burning on my tongue—but when I tried to say it, it dissolved like ash.It clung to the edge of my thoughts, slippery and cruel. I sat upright, lungs heaving as if I’d surfaced from deep underwater. My sheets clung to me, damp and tangled, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if the sweat was from the vision or the panic that came after. I tried to hold on to the name, to trace the sound of it in my mind. But it vanished, like all the rest.Only one truth remained: the bond wasn’t waiting anymore. It was here.I dressed in silence, every movement slow, deliberate. My limbs were sore, my skin hypersensitive. The floor felt too cold, the air too sharp, my thoughts too loud. Something inside me had shifted. A storm brewing under my skin. The kind you didn’t outrun—the kind you endured.When I stepped into the hall, Ronan was waiting like he had been there for hours."It’s happening, isn’t it?" he asked. He didn’t blink.I nodded, rubbing my arms. "Too fast. Too hard. It doe
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
Chapter: Chapter 24 – One of the Alphas Is Marked for DeathThere are some dreams that feel more real than waking.When I finally drifted off after a long night of circling thoughts and second-guessing, the vision didn’t creep in—it slammed into me. No subtle whispers this time. No soft warnings. Just fire.It blazed in every direction, licking the walls of a circle drawn with blood. Symbols writhed across the ground like snakes, twisting and reshaping with every second. My bare feet stood at the center, stained red, breath hitching as power coiled around my ankles. The air pressed in from all sides, heavy and ancient and thick with meaning I didn’t understand but somehow knew mattered.Across the circle stood a figure, hooded, arms raised. They chanted words I didn’t recognize, but my bones understood. Words that called for sacrifice.And in the middle of the fire, suspended and bleeding, one of the Alphas hung by chains of light.His face was obscured—blurred like someone had smeared him with smoke. But I knew. Deep down, I knew.If I didn’t
Huling Na-update: 2025-03-29
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